County Job 'Appeals' To Arthur

Arthur - focused on Australia for now.

Mickey Arthur has already spoken to two English counties about possible future employment - but has much hard work to do for South Africa before he will consider switching his allegiance.

Arthur's tourists try to begin an unlikely comeback at The Oval on Friday, from 2-0 with only three matches to play against England in the NatWest Series.

Irrespective of success in that mission improbable - Jacques Kallis taking over the captaincy in place of the injured Graeme Smith - the coach is already plotting his country's next high-profile venture.

With Australia looming as the ultimate cricketing test this winter, there is no doubt Arthur has significant unfinished business.

He was nonetheless prepared yesterday to set the record straight, following reports linking him with coaching positions in England.

"It would appeal to me down the line," Arthur admitted.

"I've just got to decide when and if - at the moment there is nothing concrete anywhere.

"There has been some inquiry; I have had a couple of discussions, a couple with my boss at Cricket South Africa - everybody knows exactly where they stand. I've been open and honest with everyone I've spoken to."

Decision time will come for Arthur - but there is much thinking, and planning, to come first.

"At the end of this tour, I'll just need some time off and reflect on where I want to go in my career - after April next year," he said.

"If anything happens it is not going to happen until after Australia. That's where my contract goes to and where my focus is.

"Australia was always the culmination of mine and Graeme's planning. That was our target. My thought process is entirely on that."

As for South Africa's limited-overs credentials, Arthur is well aware they are up against very strong opposition - and that retirements of a clutch of senior players, notably all-rounder Shaun Pollock, mean they are in a transitional phase.

"I see our one-day side now where we were with our Test team two years ago," he said.

"It's going to be a work in progress and it has to be driven to the next World Cup.

"I don't think we are the one-day side we were, and we are going to have to live with that.

"We're probably not number two in the world at the moment, as the rankings suggest."

South Africa could have gone above Australia as the top ODI team in the world, had they beaten England 5-0.

That is not going to happen, and Arthur has a pretty good idea why.

"We've lost depth; we've lost the ability to hit the ball out of the ground at the back-end of our innings; we've lost a key bowler up front with the new ball; we've lost a key bowler at the death," he continued.

"We need guys to come in - and we've got to find the right balance and the right personnel.

"We need to see them blossom - and we'll see the benefit of that in two years' time.

"It's an exciting challenge to get the team up and going forward. But we're certainly not the finished article at the moment ... it is going to take time."